Ignorance
by lupinlover007
Summary: She only meant to take a trip down memory lane. When Hermione is accidentally transported to a past far before her own, she'll need the help of a Slytherin sixth-year to escape. But when she discovers his terrible secret, how does she know who to trust?
1. Prologue

_Fifteen year-old Hermione Granger had been through a lot these past five years at Hogwarts. As she packed for her sixth, the Muggleborn girl couldn't help taking a short trip down memory lane. From her first year, she had her very first textbooks- rather boring, and even easier now than they had been at the time, but still special. From her second, something a bit more exciting. The tooth of the basilisk, given to her by Harry after he'd destroyed the horrible creature. Even the thought of those terrifying yellow eyes made her shudder- the serpent had been ruthless in its search for Mudbloods to exterminate, and the feeling of that icy cold flowing through her body, paralyzing her... She still had nightmares about it._

_From her third year was an object that was truly magical- a Time Turner. She and Harry had used this one to save two innocent lives from a terrible fate. But now only one of those was still living._

_She put the trunk of old memories away, overcome by a sense of loss. Poor Harry... Only two years ago had he met his godfather, been given a real family at last- and now it had been ripped away from him by the mad Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange. There was nothing anyone could do, though. Sirius had fallen through the veil- they couldn't even recover the body for a proper burial. _

_Everyone had tried to help him... Sirius had died fighting, they told him, died a noble death. But it wasn't enough for Harry. He just needed some time alone._

_Right now, Hermione was feeling the exact opposite. She wanted nothing more than to be with her two best friends right now. But for the moment, that would have to wait. It was late, and that meant time to rest. Tomorrow she would meet her friends again._

_As she flopped down on her bed, Hermione felt a dizzying sensation. The room began to spin, showing herself and her parents bustling in and out at impossible speeds. The light was changing now, and so was the room she'd been in. What was going on?_

_The Time Turner, she realized. _

She was still holding the Time Turner...

**sorry for the slow start, but i wanted to explain how she got there as best i could to make it more natural... next chappie will be WAY better. R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 1

The boy glanced at her from over the top of a well-thumbed book. Who was this strange girl wearing strange Muggle clothes? And why was she here, at Hogwarts?

The Muggle walked over to him, probably looking to ask for directions.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know how I got to Hogwarts so early... Is there any way to get back? I haven't even packed yet, you know, and-"

"Who is the Minister for Magic?"

"What? Oh, it's... Cornelius Fudge."

This was... odd. His senses were telling him that the girl had told the truth- or thought she had. But _he_ had never heard of any Cornelius Fudge... "I'm sorry, I believe you are mistaken. Unless you can prove that you have some magical talent, I'm going to have to escort you off the grounds and-"

Hermione Granger whipped out her wand.

"Clearly," the boy continued, unruffled, "I have made a most _dreadful_ mistake. Please forgive my... ignorance. I will show you in now, if you like." He gathered his books in one motion and gestured towards the castle, then set off towards it without waiting for a reply.

--

"Coma monoceres," the boy commanded, and the portrait swung outward.

"Actually I'm not from this House, and I don't think I should go-"

"Hermione, from what you have told me, I don't think you are from this _time_. But I have influence in Slytherin, and I find that you have a will to learn, just as I do. We are alike, Hermione, and for that reason I am going to help you."

The Gryffindor girl shook herself. This boy had a way of talking... perhaps it was that underlying snake feeling... It was… hypnotizing… And maybe just a little scary… _Oh stop being stupid, Hermione, _she thought to herself, _it's just a Slytherin thing..._

--

"Whosanwkid?" a Slytherin asked, taking his feet off the table but not bothering to stop chomping away at a muffin.

"That's disgusting, Crabbe. Stop it _please_." the boy spoke, ignoring the question, perhaps because he hadn't understood it.

Hermione struggled to smother a laugh. Even Crabbe's father- or grandfather, as she had no idea where in time she was- was a pig.

Crabbe swallowed a painfully huge chunk of muffin. "Who's the new kid?"

Only Hermione noticed the boy's hand go to his wand. "Oh, she was here all along, Crabbe. Don't you remember?"

"...Yeah..." Crabbe replied, a dreamy look on his face as the muffin dropped to the floor. "I do..." Other kids, who had turned to look at the Muggleborn, were now nodding their heads in agreement.

"Did you just perform a Memory Charm on your entire house?!" Hermione whispered fiercely.

"Oh, something like that," the boy replied, a smug grin flitting across his features.

Hermione sighed. The damage was done now, and she suspected only this boy could put it right again. This boy...

"Oh, I forgot to ask... You already know mine, but what's your name?"

"Uh... Thomas." Hermione failed to notice the way his eyes were darting back and forth a little nervously now.

"Thomas...?" She trailed off expectantly, waiting for a surname.

"Just Thomas."

**hope you like it so far! i tried to keep them both in character, but i don't know how it turned out... R&R please!**


	3. Chapter 2

"Tell me more. About... your time, I mean." Thomas wanted this information. If he didn't get it, his helping this girl would have been a wasted act.

"Oh, well, there's this horrible dark wizard named Voldemort," she began. It had been a long time since Hermione had had to be afraid of that name, and the distance between the Dark Lord and herself made her bolder than ever.

A shadow of something flickered across Thomas's face. "Oh, don't worry though. We're taking care of it." She offered a reassuring grin, then a hand. "Come on, we'll be late for potions!"

Thomas followed her, but his mind was reeling. Suddenly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to follow through with his plan. He didn't really want to become something everyone feared. He wanted to be someone who could live forever, whose bold defeat of death would go down in history... Not Voldemort.

--

"And which two of you can tell me the main ingredients in traditional absinthe?"

Hermione's hand was up before Slughorn could even blink. "The first is wormwood, sir."

Thomas's hand shot up just after. "And the other would be aniseed, Professor."

"Excellent, excellent!" Slughorn laughed delightedly. "Ten points to Slytherin for such quick answers!"

It still felt wrong to Hermione, earning points for another house. She wasn't sure if she should do her best or bring this house down. _But Thomas has helped me so much..._

"And why don't we use this type of absinthe anymore?"

Hermione's hand was up again. "Because it is now largely banned because of its toxicity."

"Beautiful, Miss Granger! Another five points to Slytherin!" _Anyway, I can't be the Gryffindor I _really_ am until I find the Time Turner again..._

Slughorn turned to face his potions cabinet, busily pulling out various ingredients. "Now that we know so much about absinthe, we're going to brew it. It's a dangerous concoction, mind you, so if anyone should drink a few drops- unintentionally, of course- what would we do to help them?"

Hermione's hand shot up again. "A bezoar, sir."

"The girl's brilliant!" He laughed again. "Ten points! Pick up the pace now, Gryffindor! You're losing that lead!" _Besides, if I don't practice, I might lose my touch. Who knows how long I'm going to be here...._

As they began their work, Thomas leaned over and whispered, "Well done."

For some reason Hermione couldn't explain, it made her heart skip a beat to hear those words, and for one moment she was totally and impossibly happy.

But only for a moment. She realized now that she had just earned twenty-five points for Slytherin. She had cost Gryffindor their lead. For some reason, this small detail struck home the terrible fact she had been keeping at bay for as long as she could.

She was not Hermione Granger of Gryffindor anymore.

**i know nothing much happened here, i just wanted to show hermione's conflicted feelings (and a little bit of tom's), but i dunno how that worked out... don't forget to R&R!**


	4. Chapter 3

It was getting late, and most of the other Slytherins had left the commonroom. Now only Hermione and Thomas were left, watching the fire crackle and smoke from the comfort of black leather chairs.

In her week of living there, Hermione almost considered Slytherin home. She wondered if this was how the place had looked when Ron and Harry had gone undercover there in their second year. Harry… Ron…

Thomas looked up at a soft sound from the Gryffindor girl. She was crying now. "What's wrong?" he asked, surprisingly gently.

"I just... I miss my friends so much... I was going to see them tomorrow... We had a whole school year ahead of us, and now... Now I'm further away from them than I've ever been in my life, I don't even know WHERE, and I just feel... alone." she stopped, shocked that she had said all that to the boy she had met only a few days ago.

"I feel alone very much of the time, Hermione," he said quietly. "Alone among these Slytherins, I mean. I understand so much more than any of them ever could..."

She had no idea why, but she felt the need to comfort him. "I'm a bit of a bookworm, actually, so I've learned a lot of things most others in my year haven't. Especially Ron... Poor Ron, I've always had to help him with his essays..." She smiled sadly. "I wonder what he'll do without my help..."

"You must know far more than I do, being from the future as you are." It was difficult for Thomas to admit that, she could tell, and for some reason felt grateful. "What new things have they discovered then?"

"Well, I don't know what's been discovered here, exactly, or... now, I suppose. But I think the discovery of the Twelve Uses of Dragons' Blood was fairly recent..."

Listening to her tell of a time he may not even live to- he didn't know when she had come from, or even how she had done it- Thomas found himself smiling. He didn't know why, or when he had even started smiling, but he knew that he didn't want to stop.

And suddenly, Hermione Granger didn't feel quite so alone anymore.

**there's the fourth chappie done! don't forget to R&R!**


	5. Chapter 4

Their time at Hogwarts passed quickly, and soon the holidays were upon them. Hermione had no one to go to, and Thomas had no desire to return to the place where he'd been born, but most of the other Slytherins were to return to their parents for the break. So it was no surprise when they found themselves in an otherwise empty commonroom.

"Morning, Thomas," Hermione said, hoping her anxiety wasn't holidays weren't the only thing that had snuck up on them. Slughorn's party was coming up, and all his favorite students had been invited.

"Morning, Hermione," Thomas replied, fidgeting nervously with his robes. Slughorn had made it expressly clear that coming without a date would be an unthinkable offense...

He walked over to her. He'd been meaning to ask something about the third Hallow for a few days now...

She couldn't help being nervous as he headed in her direction. When they met, they'd been about the same height, but he'd really shot up since then- she was a good head shorter now.

This wasn't fair! Why did he care if he had a date for Slughorn's stupid party? He didn't even _like_ this girl! He was just getting information from her. She knew things that no one else would ever know. Not in this time, anyway. It made sense to... keep her close.

He looked at her, but when he met her eyes his question was gone.

She looked at him, but when she met his eyes she met a dark, brooding gaze. So mysterious... So...

He found a different question.

"I was wondering if you would-"

"Definitely." Hermione replied instantly, both to save Thomas the trouble of spitting out the whole thing and to do it before he changed his mind.

Thomas breathed out. That was easy. Now he wouldn't get on Slughorn's bad side, he didn't have to go with someone he didn't like... Whoa. Wait. He didn't like this Hermione girl. At all. And he wanted to set that straight.

--

Back in his office, Slughorn smiled. He hadn't planned on making a date mandatory, but really, those two were just so perfect for each other...

--

"...Wake up. Hermione, get up!"

She jerked awake. "What? Thomas? How did you get into the girls'-"

"You're not IN the girls' dormitory. You sort of fell asleep in the commonroom. I didn't want to wake you, you just looked so..." Thomas shifted uncomfortably.

Hermione smiled. "No, that was the right thing to do, I guess. I can be pretty cranky when someone interrupts my sleep..." While this had been true of her for most of her life- something Ron and Harry had learned well- Hermione couldn't help feeling as though she wasn't the same person she had been before this year. There were even parts of her old life she didn't remember anymore. Sometimes that scared her, but when Thomas was around it didn't seem quite so bad.

"So...." he ventured. "Are you glad we've got a break?" He smiled. "I know you love learning and all, but even you have to rest once in a while..."

She laughed. "Believe me, I'm happy. And Slughorn's party is coming up..." Hermione glanced sideways at him, watching his reaction.

"Oh, right, THAT party..." Thomas started to fidget, tapping his wand on the black oak table and accidentally transfiguring it into a bemused looking toad.

She smiled. "Let me help you with that."

No, he reflected as she fixed the table-gone-toad, this was definitely not the Hermione Granger he had met outside the Castle that day.

**so the shipping begins! ik it wasnt great, but next chappie will more than make up for it- christmas and the party (and maybe a little snogging...)! R&R!**


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